Direct access storage devices (DASD) have become part of every day life, and as such, expectations and demands continually increase for greater speed for manipulating data and for holding larger amounts of data. To meet these demands for increased performance, the mechanical assembly in a DASD device, specifically the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) has undergone many changes.
A fluid dynamic bearing is the result of a thin layer of fluid, such as oil, moving between two juxtaposed surfaces and thus creating a barrier between the two surfaces that prevents their contact. Methods have been varied for moving the fluid to generate the FDB. One early method of moving the fluid was to use a pump that was external to the juxtaposed surfaces. This is costly for HDD application.
One problem is that at start and stop of the HDD and during device shock conditions, metal surfaces may contact, leading to accelerated wear. This contact leads to particulate contamination of the lubrication fluid and greatly decreases the life of HDD components.